GM ready to break ground on massive Flint Assembly paint shop

FLINT, MI -- General Motors says it will break ground on its massive new shop to paint trucks at Flint Assembly on Monday, March 3, setting the stage for a large-scale construction job that will put hundreds to work.

GM spokesman Tom Wickham said construction on the addition, part of a $600-million investment in the plant, is expected to start in the spring and is expected to require approximately 1 million construction man hours.

Monday's groundbreaking is expected to include remarks by GM North America Vice President Gerald Johnson, UAW representatives and Flint area community leaders, according to a news release from the company.

About 2,900 employees work in three shifts at Flint Assembly and the new investment creates or retains 150 jobs at the plant on Van Slyke Road. Workers build heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra crew and regular cab trucks, as well as the light-duty Chevrolet Silverado crew and regular cab trucks.

In an update on the paint shop project, GM says the new building is being built on the site of the former V8 engine plant that GM closed in 1999 and eventually demolished.

The site is approximately 37 acres south of Flint Assembly and the new shop is expected to have three floors and be 596,000 square feet.